A new change to California's rent payment law took effect January 1, 2025, and it's one of those updates that's easy to miss until you're already on the wrong side of it. The core rule has been on the books for a while — you can't require tenants to pay only in cash or only by electronic transfer — but there's now an added wrinkle: you can no longer charge tenants a fee for paying by check. What California Law Requires You to Accept as Payment Under Civil Code § 1947.3, landl

Most landlords treat a late fee as a self-executing clause — tenant pays late, fee kicks in. In California, it doesn't work that way. Late fees in residential leases are treated as liquidated damages under state law, subject to a two-part legal test that courts have used to strike them down repeatedly. Tenant attorneys have gotten better at challenging them, class action lawsuits have produced significant judgments against landlords, and the trend is going the wrong direction

A no-pets policy is one of the most common tools landlords use to protect their property. It's reasonable — pet damage can be expensive, and the security deposit cap California imposes often doesn't cover it. But a blanket no-pets rule isn't the whole story. Federal and California fair housing laws require landlords to carve out exceptions for service animals and support animals when a tenant or applicant has a disability-related need. Getting this wrong is a fair housing vio

A tenant asks if they can hang a clothesline in their patio. It sounds minor, but there's an actual California statute behind it — and how you respond matters. Since January 1, 2016, California law has given tenants a qualified right to use a clothesline or drying rack in their private area. That right is conditional: owner approval is still required, and you can set meaningful restrictions on how, where, and when they use it. What California Law Says About Tenant Clothesline

In 2023, California passed SB 712, a law that prohibits landlords from banning e-bikes and e-scooters entirely. The law was meant to support sustainable transportation and accessibility for people with disabilities. But for property owners, it creates new compliance headaches—especially around lithium-ion battery safety and fire risk. Starting January 1, 2024, you must either allow tenants to store and charge their devices in the unit (under specific safety conditions) or pro

A tenant calls and says the words you've been dreading: bed bugs. Maybe they woke up with bites. Maybe they found evidence in the mattress. Either way, your property management just got a lot more complicated. Whether you have a bed bug issue or not, California has specific laws about how you must inform tenants about bed bugs risks, how you handle inspections, what pest control can do, and what happens if you retaliate against someone for reporting them. Get this wrong, and

Learn how Santa Barbara landlords should handle tenant abandonment, abandoned belongings, notices, storage, and local compliance before taking back a rental.

As of April 2025, Santa Barbara Municipal Code §26.50.090 prohibits new owners of properties with five or more rental units from initiating any no-fault just cause eviction to demolish or substantially remodel a unit for one full year following acquisition. The restriction applies only within the City of Santa Barbara, and it was added by Ordinance 6179 — so it's recent enough that it hasn't made its way into most investor due diligence checklists yet. What the Rule Says The

Your tenant's significant other has been sleeping over every night for two months. Their car is in the parking spot. They are getting Amazon packages at the address. You have a vague feeling something's off — but you're not sure you have any standing to do anything about it. Whether you can actually act on it depends entirely on what your lease says. California Doesn't Set a Time Limit for You Here's something most landlords don't know: California law doesn't specify how long

If you've ever wondered exactly how many people you can legally allow in your rental unit, you're not alone. Occupancy limits sit at the uncomfortable intersection of property management common sense and fair housing law, and California makes that intersection more complicated than most states. This is not legal advice. The rules around occupancy are genuinely fact-specific and have been actively litigated for decades. If you're dealing with a real situation, talk to an attor

When a tenant gives notice, most landlords' minds jump straight to finding the next renter. But there's an important step that happens before any of that — one California law actually requires you to offer — and skipping it can cost you far more than any security deposit is worth. It's the pre-move-out inspection, sometimes called the initial inspection or walk-through, and it comes with its own set of rules under California Civil Code Section 1950.5. Note: This post is meant

If you own rental property in Santa Barbara, security deposits are probably the area of landlord-tenant law you're most likely to get tripped up on — and the consequences of getting it wrong can be costly. California's security deposit statute (Civil Code Section 1950.5) has seen a wave of significant changes in the past two years, with new rules taking effect in 2024, 2025, and again in 2026. Here's what you need to know. This post is for informational purposes only and does

Starting January 1, 2026, California landlords have a new obligation baked into state habitability law: providing and maintaining a working stove and refrigerator in every rental unit. Failure to comply carries real consequences, and the rules around when and how they apply are more nuanced than most landlords expect. Here's what you need to know. What the Law Actually Requires AB 628 adds a working stove and refrigerator to the list of things a landlord must provide as part

If you've been renting out property in California for any length of time, you've probably charged a screening fee at some point. It seems straightforward — someone applies, you pull a credit report, they cover the cost. But as of January 1, 2025, the rules around screening fees changed significantly, and a lot of landlords are still running their process the old way without realizing it. Here's a plain-English breakdown of where things stand, what you're required to do, and w